'16 and Pregnant' recap: You gotta do what you gotta do

Image Credit: MTVBased on the show’s title alone, you know the basics about last night’s episode of 16 and Pregnant. What the title doesn’t tell you is that the teen moms on the show can sometimes defy preconceived notions and make really good decisions. Case in point: Chelsea.

Here’s the backstory (and first half of the episode): Adam is Chelsea’s boyfriend and the father of her child. Chelsea’s dad does not like Adam because he’s disrespectful, unreliable, and speaks condescendingly to his daughter (and, you know, knocked her up…). But after a private chat in the kitchen, Chelsea’s dad is reasonably convinced the teen father will be reliable after the baby is born. Yeah, he was wrong.

Immediately following the birth of the couple’s premature daughter, Aubree, Adam seems to be on a noble path. He even asks that the baby be given his last name. It soon becomes obvious that his pro-active approach is short-lived. The morning after Chelsea’s release from the hospital, she’s eager to go see her still-hospitalized daughter. Adam has other ideas: sleep. It’s downhill after that.

He seems more interested in pulling all-nighters standing under the hood of his car when he could spend the night standing over his daughter’s crib. At one point, Chelsea mentions that Adam hasn’t seen their daughter in three weeks. When she tries to confront him about it, he tells her to ”stop being annoying.” Poor Chelsea falls into a bit of a depression, but doesn’t let it get in the way of caring for Aubree. Still, her concerned friends and father encourage her to move on.

Determined to get a slice of her life back, Chelsea went to her high school’s Homecoming football game, but came home early because she missed Aubree. After learning she went out, Adam texted Chelsea some of the most hateful messages I’d ever seen (one is quoted below). He insulted Chelsea’s skills as a mom, called their daughter ”a mistake,” and talked about her stretch marks – yea, he went there.

Chelsea called her father in tears and begged him to come home, which he did. But after the meltdown, Chelsea had an epiphany: She had to move on. Shortly after, with her dad and best friend in tow, Chelsea went to a law office and changes Aubree’s last name. Adam is officially out of the picture. It was great to see Chelsea step up for her baby and her future.

Before you consume the noteworthy moments below, tell me: What did you think of 16 and Pregnant? Would you like to see more of the teen moms take a stand against bad boyfriends? Did Chelsea’s mature decision surprise you? Sound off below!

Most [adjective here] moment:Uncomfortable – Tie: Chelsea and her friend talking about pooping during childbirth and Chelsea trying out the breast pump on Adam.Hateful - Adam’s comment after he did not go to the pediatrician’s office with Chelsea when Aubree became ill. ”Looks like you did fine. She’s not dead or anything.”Angering – Adam’s (English language-decimating) text message to Chelsea: ”no I want u to feel like the most worthless stupid f— in the world u better believe its so over for the rest of ourlives ya fat stretch mark b—-…”Wise – Chelsea’s dad telling her: ”You need to start using [Adam’s] meanness as your motivation to get out of this,” after Adam sends her the above text message.Slow clap-worthy – Chelsea signing the papers to change the baby’s last name to her own.